The Malan Coalition (Ad Astra 5)
Write the first paragraph of your article here. 'History of the Malan Coalition' Pre-Contact History The planet Valdis, capital of the Coalition you now find yourselves at home in, has given birth to three sentient species over the course of its history. Thousands of years ago, when our ancestors were still jumping from tree to tree in the forests of Home, the first race of Valdis, the Sargothi, had built a flourishing civilization. The Sargothi were a very aggressive race. Much of their culture and economy was devoted to raiding of invading other species. Despite the Sargothi ruins that dot Valdis, Most of what we know comes from the mythology of the Haecomus, and the very oldest texts in the Thune Great Library. All that we knew is that the Sargothi stood roughly twelve feet tall, had special sense organs all over it’s body that picked up vibrations, and that they used these organs to communicate with each other in a process no one quite understands. We also know that the Sargothi were expert geneticists, and this legacy lives on in their engineered children, the Haecomus. Whatever they were like otherwise, what we do know about the Sargothi was that they were brutal monsters by any races standards. Over the course of the Sargothi civilization, a second species developed sentience. These were the ancestors of today’s Thune. They thrived on the deserts and semi-arid regions away from Sargothi civilization. Nonetheless, the Sargothi took an interest in them and hunted them for sport and food. In the later days of the Sargothi Empire, someone decided it would be a good idea to create a slave race suitable to their needs. Starting from scratch, they decided to build the perfect slave. The Haecomus they created had incredibly efficient digestive systems so that they would need little food. They would be small, to show that their station was below the Sargothi, yet they would be deceptively strong, to still be able to do the work they were required. They would have a form that was pleasing to the Sargothi. The Sargothi saw some of the races that they occasionally passed by, such as humanity, as their ideals of either beauty (for sex slaves) or cuteness (for pets). Several breeds were created; of which the one based on a human appearance is the only one to survive today. Certain breeds were made deliberately stupider for use as pets, while some were made more aggressive, to serve as fodder for Sargothi armies or to fight in the arenas. Some were specially designed to be over-sexed, and to have sexual organs that would increase the pleasure of their Sargothi masters. Eventually, the Sargothi Empire collapsed. Scholars debate exactly what happened. Theories range from a mass exodus from a planet they had crippled from their exploitation, to the theory that they wiped themselves out in war of some sort. The most likely theory is a mixture of the two, that the Sargothi devastated Valdis in a war, and then left for greener pastures elsewhere. Is either the first or third theories are true however, it is certain that no race has heard from the Sargothi since. The only thing we know for sure from this period is that the Sargothi were here then, and are not now. Huge swathes of Valdis had become wasteland in the wake of the Sargothi. Only the central jungle, and small isolated pockets throughout the rest of the main continent, survived the process of desertification that swept the planet. In these deserts the Thune began to build their own empires. Cities sprang up in the northern ends of both continents, often in the ruins of Sargothi cities. The Thune cultivated knowledge and their nations grew, enhanced scraps gleaned from Sargothi texts. The Thune ruled unopposed until the Haecomus won dominance over what was left of the slave races of the Sargothi. Still little more than savages, the Haecomus who managed to escape the Sargothi fall fled to the jungles, where they quickly showed their advantages over the other slave races. Though it would take nearly two thousand years for the other slave breeds to die out, it was a foregone conclusion. In the year 1752 (393 CE) of the Valdian calendar, a great leader emerged to unite dozens of the scattered Haecomus tribes. His name was Hroth and he founded the first city the Haecomus had ever known, Varica. Known today as the City of Origin, Varica is the largest and most heavily populated city in the entire Malan Coalition. The Councilor of Varica wields great power, and is the Chancellor of the Council as often as not. With Varica established, the Haecomus spread out through the rest of the jungle, Hroth and his descendents settling new lands conquered within the jungle, and their enemies fleeing from the wrath of Hroth’s people to settle in the lands of the Thune. For a time there was war between Thune and Haecomus, but slowly, Valdis began to heal. The land turned from desert to savannah, while the Thune also thrived in, to great grasslands, until eventually forests, swamps, and jungles began to claim Thune lands. The Thune, never a prolific race, were very thin on the ground over most of their empires. Thune migrated to the smaller, eastern continent in search of a more familiar home. As they began to migrate in larger numbers, their communities on the main continent began to die. Some abandoned, some overwhelmed with Haecomus. This process continued until this very day, where the only major Thune enclaves on the mainland are Karski, and the great cosmopolitan city of Mannioc. Nations rose and fell in the same cycle that repeats itself in most races’ histories. How it all came about would take volumes, and will be detailed in greater depth in the chapter on Valdian government. After years of struggling against one another, most of the major powers of Valdis joined into a confederation of sorts. Varica, Mannioc, a federation of smaller cities in the northern grasslands, and all the three largest Thune powers, Karski, Karagarada, and Sikkri, became the founding members of the Malan Coalition in 3107 (1921 CE). Malan in the Haecomus tongue means “open-hand”. This is in reference to the traditional way to greet strangers, with both hands open in front of you, to show that do not bear arms against them. Thus, the “Open-Handed” Coalition was formed to promote peace and co-operation between its member states. Over the course of a hundred years the rest of Valdis joined the Coalition, with Dracmoor being the last to join in the Valdian year 3212 (2040 CE). Despite a few wars it could not stop in its early years, usually between a member and non-member state, the Coalition has been very successful. Today, only minor skirmishes erupt between members. The last major war to occur between member states was the Macarian heresy of 3273 (2109 CE). With peace and stability generally guaranteed, the people of Valdis pooled their resources to go to the stars. Metals had always been in short supply on Valdis, and it was theorized that Valdis’ moons might contain large deposits of what Valdis lacked. In 3220 the first Thune astronaut touched down on the moon Thea. A crew of three Haecomus landed on Ptolos two years later in 3222 (2052 CE). By 3240, the first temporary station was set up on Thea. It was posted for only a month, long enough to set up a transmitter that sent a message out into space. This message welcomed any alien species to come to Valdis, where they would be welcomed with open hands. Our people received this signal, in 3335 (2179 CE), which as every Passauni knows, led us to war with the Valdian races. On the site of the temporary colony was founded the first permanent colony, which eventually grew into a star port, eagerly awaiting any visitors from other races (note that the Valdians had not yet made first contact at this point) in 3255 (2089 CE). A mining colony was established on the Ptolos moon in 3265 (2100 CE), and the metals it brought back to Valdis gave it such power that they even received a spot on the Council. Life continued well for the Malan Coalition, the Great Library expanded with new learning from the stars; economy and technology were revolutionized by Ptolian metal, the outer planets were explored and outposts established on them, and the first civilian colonies were founded on Ptolos and Thea. The secrets of faster than light travel still escaped them however. That is, until we arrived in the Valdis system in 3338 (2182 CE). The rest, as they say, is history. The Passaunic War I have been called many things in my day. The hero of the Passaunic Wars, the savior of the Great Library, the butcher of Nagro-Muruc-Kahg, the tyrant and of Nagro Sector. Whether deserved or undeserved, I am many things to many people. The first volume of this series has already dealt with my life before the war. The third will deal with my time as military governor of the Passauni colonies, the Second Passaunic War, and the unfounded accusations against my person. This, the second volume, will tell the tale of the First Passaunic War. For those who do not remember, or who will read this in the generations to come, let me start by summarizing the war and my place in it. Where to begin? Does the war start with the Passauni’s mobilization against us? Does it begin when they entered our home system? Does it begin with the invasion of Ptolos and Thea? Or does it begin with the formal declaration of war, one week later? For myself, the story begins stationed in orbit around the first planet in our system, Manni, while scientists and engineers built a station to study Manni and Haeka. I was a Rear Admiral then, and just newly promoted. The first call came over the comms from our farthest outpost, a small station on the eighth planet, Iki, manned by Thune scientists who must have done something very wrong to end up on that ball of ice. No one believed what they relayed at first: A huge fleet a thousand ships strong, heading towards Valdis. We couldn’t explain it, but we certainly couldn’t believe it either. It seems so simple now that we have made contact with a dozens races, but in those days, we had never met any other life. We were all forced to believe, no matter how ludicrous it sounded, when the first pictures came in from the Star port of Malan-on-Thea. A huge fleet of what were obviously warships heading straight for our moons. After fifteen minutes of dead air I recovered from the shock. I told all of fleets to rally around the capital of the Ptolos colony. Admiral-of-the-Fleet Jakka countermanded my order and told our ships to rally at Malan-on-Thea. Most of the Haecomun navy sped to Malan-on-Thea, while my ships traveled to Ptolos. Jakka screamed at me to join his forces. I should have, I knew I should have, but somehow I couldn’t get the words out. It was as if the Star-Maker himself stayed my hand. Jakka’s forces fought valiantly, but they didn’t stand a chance against the superior numbers and technology of the Passauni. I’m proud to say that Jakka fought until the end, never giving an inch, and his forces gave the Passauni a bloody nose they wouldn’t soon forget. What was left of our navy fled to Ptolos, where I held firm, bolstered by elements of the Thune navy that could not reach Thea in time. We kept the retreat from turning into a complete rout. The Passauni surely would have destroyed our fleet as it tried to escape if not for our stalwart action. The Passauni returned to Thea, where the assault on Malan-on-Thea began. Malan-on-Thea, taken by surprise, was subjugated in one day. With admiral Jakka, and most of my contemporaries, dead, and the Thune high commander, Dyri, badly wounded in an accident just three days into the conflict, command of Coalition forces devolved on me. When the Passauni attacked Ptolos, I removed the fleet to our outer research bases. There was no way we could stand up against the Passauni in a stand up fight. Though everyone I speak to claims that I made the right choice at Ptolos, it was the hardest I’ve ever had to make. I wept that night for the dead on Ptolos, who had counted on us to defend them. Ptolos officially fell after three weeks of intense fighting, but throughout the war a ferocious resistance bled the Passauni white. I split what was left of the fleet into smaller squadrons. From our bases throughout the system, we struck at the Passauni supply lines. Not a single ship made it through from the Passauni colony worlds to their toehold on the planet during the spring and summer seasons of 3338 (2182 CE). Whenever any Passauni ship split from the main fleet, we hunted it down and destroyed it. Application of force became very important, and it was not until the Passauni started destroying our tiny outposts that any Passauni could leave their staging area at Malan-on-Thea with any real hope of returning alive. The Passauni were undaunted however. We could not prevent the landing of troops on the eastern continent. Nor could we prevent the bombings that destroyed Karagarada and Sikkri. To this day those cities bear the scars of the orbital bombardment they took. After they began to pound our cities, I gave the order to move to Passauni space to do the same to their colonies. I note that this order was give after they bombed Sikkri and Karagarada, not before, as some Passauni apologists have claimed. Having no faster than light ships ourselves, the expedition was made up of captured Passauni vessels, refitted to accommodate our species. Leaving Dyri in charge of the Valdis fleet, I set off with the expedition to Passauni space. We were able to take three of their colony systems before we realized that something was terribly wrong. No opposition forces met us in any of their systems. Most colonies surrendered without even token resistance. We traveled to Nagro-Muruc, the only developed colony on this side of the Passauni wormhole. We found the planet utterly barren and the wormhole closed. Something had destroyed every trace of life, and closed off the Passauni from their home world forever. Two days later we received word from Valdis that the Passauni forces had surrendered, after refugee ships had transmitted the news of the disaster to Fleetlord Gurthurthu. First contact with the Peregrines took place soon not long after, who told us of the world outside of Valdis. The Council put me in charge of the meager Passauni colonies that still existed on this side of their wormhole shortly thereafter, but that, along with the Second Passaunic war, or as some call it, the Curkaggani Revolt, are stories for another volume. The Curkaggani Revolt The Curkaggani Revolt takes its name from the Passaunic word for veteran, curkag. After the Coalition victory in the Passaunic War, the soldiers and starship crews of Viroo’s fleet had to be integrated into the coalition. The surviving Passauni colonies, already swollen with refugees from Nagro-Muruc, could take no more. Viroo was appointed by the Coalition Council to look after his people. Viroo did the best he could, but Valdis was undergoing reconstruction of its own and was not eager to turn over resources to their former enemies. Life in the Passaunic systems became worse and worse. Disease spread like wildfire and starvation seemed imminent. The Curkaggani found sympathy throughout the Passauni sector of the Coalition, but their core of support was found in the largest veteran colony, Nagro-Muruc-Kagh. In the summer of 3341 (2186 CE), Curkaggani agents on board Passauni troop ships, still filled with soldiers who had not yet been assigned a colony, overwhelmed their guards, took control of their ships, and ambushed a patrol in the Nagro-Muruc-Kharr system. They used these ships to broadcast a message proclaiming the birth of the Second Passaunic Empire. This was the signal to act, and all over the Passaunic colonies Curkaggani agents rose. Government agencies were seized and garrisons attacked. Coalition officials were murdered throughout the system, as well as Passauni accused of being Coalition sympathizers. Admiral Trakana was assigned the task of suppressing the revolt. As soon as he arrived he collected all Passauni ships not already confiscated after the war and put them under the command of Admiral Viroo. Coalition officers and security were put in charge of the ships in his fleet to ensure their loyalty. The rebels were quickly crushed by local forces in all sectors but Nagro-Muruc-Kagh, and Nagro-Muruc-Kharr. The Autumn and Winter seasons were spent catching the rebel fleet and re-conquering Nagro-Muruc-Kharr. Despite Coalition cries for patience from Trakana, a small but very vocal group of citizens and Councillors from the moon colonies and his homeland, Dracmoor, demanded blood. Trakana issued an ultimatum to the rebels: surrender, or face extinction. The rebels refused, thinking he was bluffing. To their shock and horror they found he was not. Trakana’s fleet destroyed the only city on Nagro-Muruc-Kagh completely. They then moved on to the smaller towns, until every settlement was destroyed. An estimated 50% of Nago-Muruc-Kagh’s population of six million was destroyed in the conflagration. The rebellion was ended and the Curkaggani leadership was thought to have been completely destroyed. However, one officer, wounded and taken captive on Nagro-Muruc-Kharr, did survive. His name was Captain Thule Gom. First Steps to the Stars Despite the vicious wars that resulted from first contact with the Passauni, the Coalition believed that there were other races out there ready to receive them with open hands. In 3340, the Peregrines made contact. Peregrine scout ships had discovered the Coalition at the beginning of the Curkaggani Revolt and had taken several months to plan a proper first contact. The Peregrines were engaged in their own political troubles against the Zephrain Pact nations. Hoping to make new allies out of the Coalition as they had out of Humanity, the Peregrines helped the newly interstellar nation to bring itself onto the galactic stage. The Coalition was nearly a century ahead of Humanity when they made contact, so the Peregrine’s efforts to uplift the Coalition led to a quick expansion through four sectors. Using the newly captured Passauni worlds as a launching pad and Peregrine survery data from what would become the Malan Sector, the Coalition quickly spread throughout the stars. The Coalition economy quadrupled over the next ten years as rapid technology improvement led to vast leaps forward. First contact with the Tsogrithi in 3342 would lead to even greatly technological leaps forward and economic benefits, though the friendship between Tsogrithi and Malan took longer to forge than the partnership between Peregrine and Malan, the bonds were much stronger. The economic boom more than paid for the expenses as colonies struggled to become self-sufficient. When the goods time finally ended with the 3356 recession, several colonies were already contributing to the Coalition treasury rather than draining it. The Coalition made first contact of its own with the Dracmoorian-Thune in 3341. Distant cousins of the Valdian Thune, the Dracmoorian-Thune were quick to embrace the Coalition. Most the planet voluntarily joined the Coalition with a year, with the last holdouts signing membership treaties by the end of 3344. The Coalition worked hard to uplift the Dracmoorian-Thune, but with the great disparity in technological and social development, the process was long and hard. Dracmoor remained a backwater until the Pleionid War, when the Dracmoorian-Thune saved Valdis in the dramatic Three Battles of Valdis, the Battle of Ptolos, and the Suntan Purge. The Age of Wars While the economy thrived under the enlightened policies of Chancellor Siki of Tika and Tarenus Grent, the Coalition found itself stumbling in the realm of Interstellar politics. Over the course of ten years, between GL 3363 and GL 3374 the Coalition became involved in six wars. The first war, known to the Coalition as the Orrcrik War and to the Orrcrik as Starlight’s war was started when an exploration ship became involved in a civil war between the Orrcrik OUF and Criktaen factions. With her captain dead, command devolved to Jaia Taeru, known to the Orrcrik as Starlight. Taeru’s vessels kept the OUF from being overrun in exchange for membership into the Coalition. While this war was easily won and the population of the Coalition came close to doubling overnight, it raised a significant question that took years to answer over the political role of military officers and the diplomatic role of individual councilors. The Malan Coalition, by virtue of its alliance with the Peregrines, inevitably became embroiled in the 5th Interstellar War. The Coalition’s role was a minor one. Coalition vessels garrisoned UN worlds so that the more advanced UN vessels could fight the Zephrain Pact. The war in the UN was short enough that no Coalition vessels ever engaged a Zephrain Pact vessel. Still, the loss in the war was a wakeup call to the Coalition. The loss of their seemingly invincible allies and the peace treaty imposed on the Coalition (the Coalition was never even invited to sign it) brought home the real scale of the Coalition’s importance in the grand scheme of things. The most important result of the 5th Interstellar War for the Coalition was the formation of the Malanic Guard. The Guard, formed by Aug Horsa, a former martial arts instructor and heir to the Horsa Shipping Company, liquidated his extensive assets to form a pseudo-mercenary organization known as the Malanic Guard. The Guard were supported covertly by the Malan Coalition and overtly by the DCPT. The Guard earned Interstellar renown for their part in the disastrous Third Gathar. After the war, the company continued to exist, if rather directless. Before the group was force inevitably fell apart, a brush war flared on the edge of Coalition space. Refugees of the newly discovered Xinjabi race pleaded for help from the Coalition. The Xinjabi were under assault from a powerful Markann PMC, Shalyl Security. Thanks to the lackluster military leadership and lack of public awareness, Coalition support was not immediately forthcoming. The Malanic Guard however, were ready and eager to fight. The Malanic Guard fought tooth and nail with their Xinjabi allies against Shalyl. As news of the Battle for the Xuar raged, a public outcry finally gave Chancellor Siki the support he needed to intervene. With overwhelming force, the Xinjabi were liberated and welcomed into the Coalition. Soon after the resolution of the Xinjabi War, yet another war involving a small power moved the Coalition to action. Relations had been deteriorating between the Coalition and the major Markann corps, especially the most powerful corp, the Vista Conglomerate. The Conglomerate was supplying arms to the Imperial faction in the Belkarai war, a small empire strategically located between the Coalition, Conglomerate, and Stilor Empire. The Coalition supported the Republican faction. The first Belkar Crisis quickly spiraled out of control as it became a flashpoint in the cold war between STO and Zephrain Pact. Eventually, even the Cydridians became involved. When the Cydridians lost several ships due to Vista supplied mines, the entire situation threatened to explode. With rumours of a strange alien force on the Coalition’s borders and troubles between board members at home for Vista, a treaty was quickly hammered out that all sides agreed to. When both Belkarai factions pulled out at the last minute, all sides decided to cut their losses and allow the Belkarai to blow each other to pieces without outside interference. The Shal’tar treaty between the Coalition and Conglomerate was eventually signed the following year to prevent future troubles. In less than a decade, the treaty was already useless. The reason for the quick withdrawal from Belkar was the developing situation on the Orrcrik border. Refugees had been streaming in for months with tales of a new, horrible threat. Without warning, the Pleionids flooded over the border. With massive ships beyond the technology of the Coalition and in great numbers, the Coalition did all it could to slow down the Pleionids. After the defeat of the STO, and the slow realization that only the DCPT, Tso Imperium, and the distant Stytrian Environmental Republic genuinely cared about the Coalition grew closer to the Tsogrithi and more distant to the rest of the STO. The Chancellor even made diplomatic overtures to the Sancordians and Stilor in the hopes of avoiding a 6th Interstellar War. However, the focus on diplomacy over military might crippled the Coalition’s ability to act. The Malanic military fought tooth and nail at Alpha, Echo, Orrcrik and Valdis, but there was little they could do to stop the Pleionids. Only when allies from the Tso Imperium, Cydridians, SER and DCPT arrived were the Pleionids turned and most of Valdis saved. While the allied fleet took the fight to Pleionid territory, Thule Gom launched his rebellion. An assassin killed Chancellor Siki, sparking rebellions across the Nagro sector. Turncoats in the Nagro garrison forces joined Imperial die-hards, Passauni pirates, and Markann mercenaries on a rebellion that threatened to cut the Coalition in half. The Passauni were resoundingly defeated, with the final battle at Nagro-Muruc an anti-climax as the Markann mercenaries turned on their Passauni allies and fled with what little wealth the Passauni had not spent on death. Growing Pains: Trakana and Vall Ayand Trakana Siki’s assassination incensed the Coalition. Tens of billions bayed for the blood of the Passauni. They elected Ayand Trakana, Saviour of the Coalition and enemy of the Passauni to replace him. Emergency powers were handed over to Trakana and he crushed the Passauni completely. With the few die-hards scattering to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, and a population willing to do anything it took to prevent the Passauni from rising a third time, Trakana surprised the galaxy by staying his hand. Even when the death camps were discovered and the full cruelty of the Second Passaunic Empire was exposed, Trakana held back. He was careful to mention that only the Dansk should be blamed for the war and he believed that the guilt of what they had done to those who would aid them enough punishment. The majority of high ranking Dansk officers died of apparent suicides, though it was apparent that some were ‘assisted’. But as a whole, the Passauni were allowed to rebuild their lives. Trakana remains a controversial figure today. What at the time was considered a poor move, his forgiveness of the Passauni, is today lauded as his greatest act. What wasn’t questioned then we now condemn and how will never repeat itself. Trakana ruled for two years as a dictator, reorganizing the state in the way he believed was best for the Coalition. First, he reorganized the seats of the Coalition council. The Orrcrik received a large number of seats out of respect for their massive population and contribution in the Pleionid War. The nations and moons of Valdis saw their seats shrink from nine to five. The Dracmoorian-Thune were recognized for their contribution to the Coalition and the famous Aspali treaty signed ensuring the continued growth of the Dracmoor sector. The reforms that he is most remembered for are those enacted on the military. Previously, high-ranking generals and admirals held political positions. Others served no purpose but held onto their jobs fiercely, allowing the army and navy to atrophy. Trakana’s new laws made it illegal for current military personnel to run for or be appointed to public office. The military budget was more than doubled under Trakana, giving the Coalition the military it would need in the future. The Coalition’s commitment to the STO was reconfirmed and together the joint fleet eradicated many Pleionid worlds and eventually reclaimed most of the independent settlements the Pleionids had captured over the previous years. It was also Trakana’s initiative to create the Choson March, the stretch of Pleionid freed space garrisoned by the Coalition’s DCPT allies. The Choson march still survives today, absorbed into the Coalition just as North Korea was absorbed into the UN. After his two years, Trakana resigned from politics, vowing to never return again, lest he threaten the very fabric of the Coalition. At the time Trakana enjoyed unwavering support from the Orrcrik, Dracmoorian-Thune and Choson, and strong support among Haecomus and Thune. It is likely that he could have made himself dictator of the Coalition but actively chose not to. Terenus Grent Trakana stepped down in time for the 3376 election year. The people of the Coalition, tired of war, turned to old-school Coalition pacifists to run the Coalition Council. Tarenus Grent, known for his cool-headedness and unwillingness to upset the status quo. Grent gave the Coalition four steady years of healing that it desperately needed. During his tenure, Orrcrik and Valdis were completely rebuilt, trade flourished, and the joint Tsogrithi-Malan colonization zone doubled in size. The only major crisis Grent faced was the fall of the Peregrines. The Coalition did all that it could for their friends in the PTE. Many Peregrines attempted to escape the Coalition. Once “safe”, they were forced to stay in their ships for months in quarantine until a cure could be discovered. The refugees were settled mainly into the Union sector, though some returned home. A small stream of Peregrines continue to come to Coalition space to seek a better life. The Coalition could do little to stop the Peregrine holocaust. The Coalition gave some support to the Peregrines in their war against the Hexenians, mostly logistical and intelligence, but some combat missions as well, but limited help nonetheless. Grent’s retirement in 3384 served as the death knell of the Passaunic generation. The generation that had held so much power for so long, was finally removed from power. Trakana had already cleared the ancient Passaunic veterans from the military, and know the people removed the remaining Passaunics from the Coalition Council. Unfortunately, the Colonial Generation was not quite ready to rule… Than Vall The oddest thing about Than Vall’s six and a half years as Chancellor is that he could have been the Coalition’s greatest Chancellor. He initiated reforms that were desperately needed, attempted to fix the inequalities in Coalition government and society, gave hope to billions, and made the galaxy finally recognize the Coalition as a power to be reckoned with. Vall continued Trakana’s policies of giving equal voices to the colonies. However, he matched his generosity and understanding of the colonies with arrogance and insult to the nation-states Valdis and Orrcrik. He worked to solve the remaining equalities of the Coalition with great vigour. Despite huge protests and an attempted vote of no confidence, the Biali islands, long a site of racism and oppression, were separated from the Sikkrian Empire in Karagarada regional council and added to the new Valdian-Orrcrik regional council. Campaigns to improve the status of Dracmoorian-Thune and refugees t the Coalition from elsewhere were also initiated, earning Vall their solid support. In a move that was long overdue, laws against Odo-Macarians in the southern region of Valdis and in the colonies founded by their citizens were repealed, much to the anger of the Macarian church. His most controversial act came during his inaugural Annual Grand Council. As tradition stated, the Macarians opened their declarations by stating their opposition to the presence of the ‘heretical’ Odo-Macarians. The Chancellor’s traditional response is to note the grievance, but otherwise ignore the statement. Vall, the first Odo-Macarian to reign as Chancellor, declared that if the Macarians did not retract their statement and accept the presence of the Odo-Macarians, they would be ejected from the Grand Council until they did. The Macarians refused and Vall kept his word. The Macarians would only return to the Grand Council after the 3392 elections. Vall believed that he had all the answers for the Coalition’s problems. He refused to listen to others opinions and derided anyone who disagreed with him. His arrogance and elitism alienated many in the Council and wider Coalition, but with no strong contenders on the Coalition council, he managed to secure a slim majority in the 3388 elections. The Macarians openly campaigned against Vall during the election, threatening excommunication to any who supported him. Over the course of his first term, violence between Macarian and Odo-Macarian had increased. Historically, there had always been hostility between the two. With increased attacks against them, the Odo-Macarians began to organize militias to protect themselves. The Macarians responded in kind. With the promise of four more years of Vall and his ‘heresy’, the Macarians unleashed their militias on the Odo-Macarians. Vall sent peacekeepers into the southern region of Valdis, but the bloodshed continued until after his time in power was over. During the early years of Vall’s rule, a second crisis in the Belkar system arose. A rebellion on Tetran was crushed by the Imperial Belkarai killing millions of civilian. The weapons used by the Imperials were all imported from Markann space and included chemical and biological weapons. This clear breach of the Shal’tar treaty incensed the Coalition. With the Republican Belkarai of Aschult near destruction, Vall declared the armistice null and void and moved in to save the Aschult. Vista protested, claiming that the dummy corporations it was using to funnel in the weapons were not signatories to the treaty. Vall refused to accept that explanation and laid blame for the deaths of millions of Belkarai children on Vista’s CEOs. Vista moved their forces into the Belkar sector, but were too few and too late. A third of Vista’s Decisive Outcomes fleet were elsewhere fulfilling defense contracts. The Conglomerate, believing that they would face the same small force they saw during the first Belkar crisis. They did not expect to meet Trakana’s new modern navy. Larger and better equipped than the Decisive Outcome’s fleet, the Markann suffered two defeats when they tried to retake Tetran and relieve the blockade of Belkar. By the end of the first year, the Belkar Empire surrendered. Despite some pressure from home, neither Conglomerate nor Coalition attempted to make peace. Malan and Schultean forces moved on to the Markann colonies. The holdings of Vista and her allied companies were taken in quick, brutal assaults Coalition forces. While Vista hired as many other Markann PMCs as it could to defend their territory, the Coalition did the same. Eventually, two entire sectors were under cleared of Vista influence. Finally, Vista was able to strike back. A reshuffling of the corporate hierarchy allowed new commanders to take control of Decivise Outcome’s assets. These commanders were able to inflict several serious defeats on advancing Coalition forces and at one point wiped out half the Schultean fleet. Here Vall made the biggest mistake in his career. Unlike Trakana and Siki, Vall never bothered to understand the nature of Markann society. He failed to see the difference between Markann corps, believing them to be similar to allied-nations states like the Coalition of UN, rather than the completely independent entities that they were. Constant low-level violence continued on these planets, mostly through smuggling in Vista personnel and weapons, but also from small corps that were hired to attack the Coalition and were able to hide He ordered that other corps, even non-military ones, in the occupied sectors be conquered for the good of the Coalition. Instantly, the Markann united against the Coalition. Across two sectors, war raged between Coalition and Markann. As every Markann armed themselves, often with the best weapons they could afford, the ground war began to turn against the Coalition. More soldiers died in the last year of the war than in the previous four combined. The unpopular, pointless war, the religious violence that threatened to tear the Macarian regions of the Coalition apart, and the massive campaign against him led to a nervous breakdown for Than Vall. Vall was quickly removed from power and replaced with a young Councillor new to Coalition council, only being elected in 3388. She was a war hero three times over and personally responsible for the membership of the Orrcrik into the Coalition. She impressed the people with her humanity and refusal to forget her morals for the sake of politics. She won the support of the Council by her willingness to compromise and build consensus. Her name is Chancellor Jaia Taeru. A New Beginning Jaia Taeru was a junior counselor during the Vall crisis. With only a few years of experience, she seemed an unlikely candidate for Chancellor. However, unlike many Councillors of the Colonial Generation, Councillor Taeru was already well known. He role in bringing the Orrcrik the Coalition was widely known (though downplayed by Siki’s administration). Her exemplary service during the Pleionid War, Second Passauni Revolt, and Belkar War made her a hero to the Coalition and gave her the full support of the armed forces. Her personal relationship to the popular Orrcrik Councillor Puretongue and the endorsement of Ayand Trakana gave her a high profile. Disturbed at the choices that turned the Belkar War into the Malano-Vistian War, she resigned her position as Rear-Admiral to pursue a career in politics. She ran for Council in her home distract on Malan, seizing it from long time Vall supporter Councillor Yonno on a platform of reigning in Vall’s excesses. After calling for the vote of no confidence, she personally carried the notice to Vall, who refused to attend the session due to his mental breakdown. Jaia was quick to act to end the violence that shook the Coalition. Her first move was to bring Vista and the other Markann corporations to the negotiating table. As Markann spaced faced further challenges from other powers, they were eager to settle for peace. The Markann territories inside the Belkar sector, most notably Promenade, were to be retained. All trade restrictions were lifted against Markann corps (excepting security corps). While negotiations were ungoing with the Markann, Chancellor Taeru looked to solve the religious violence. As a sign of how much the Coalition had changed in the last decades, Dracmoorian-Thune, Belkarai, and Xinjabi troops were brought in to quell the violence. Accepting that the traditional mandate of peacekeepers could not be applied, Taeru gave a new peacemaking mandate with broad powers to the commanders and their political aides. If a population refused to stop the violence, then peace would be forced upon them. Over the course of the year long occupation, twenty thousand fanatics were killed as well as almost a thousand Coalition soldiers. In days gone by, the Coalition would have baulked at these numbers, but the losses of the previous decades had hardened the people of the Coalition. Yes, some twenty one thousand died in the occupation, but nearly half a million had died throughout the Coalition from religious violence over the course of the previous decade. The occupying forces were members of the “lesser” races of the Coalition, those regarded as contributing less due to the technological deficit, lack of numbers, or other conditions. In Carropi, Carofen, and Ferrana, they showed their superior moral fiber, stopping the members of the “greater” Haecomus race from murdering each other in cold blood. Taeru reorganized the Southern Region of Valdis. The independent states formed on religious lines would be eliminated, national and religious lines blurred as is was split into four regions based on logical geographical divides, rather than a hundred based on religion. It was an imperfect solution, but it succeeded in stopping the violence and bringing both churches back into Coalition society. The people lauded Chanceller Taeru as a hero for giving them peace. However, peace was the easy part. Now Chancellor Taeru had to rebuild the Coalition from the Ashes once more. For the third time in five decades, the southern reaches are in ruins, and the scars of Belkar, Tetran, and Promenade will not fade quickly. While there is still work to be done solving old problem, new ones emerge. The “lesser” races continue to fight for equality in the Coalition, though the government had become more open to their cause. The Tsogrithi, long allies of the Coalition, have finally signed a full membership treaty. With a larger population and economy than the other seven species of the Coalition combined, the Tsogrithi threaten to throw off the delicate balance that Chancellor Taeru has brokered. Meanwhile, beyond the borders of the Coalition, the galaxy burns. Since the destruction of the Peregrines, and the Malano-Tsogrithi Union, the Coalition has gone from the weakest power in the STO to its strongest. Chancellor Taeru is uncertain of this new role in galactic politics and searches for a way out of cold war between STO and Zephrain Pact that has smoldered since the end of the Fifth Interstellar War. Section heading Write the second section of your article here. Category:Interstellar Polity Category:Ad Astra 5